More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze which ripped through the GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory which is under construction

A huge fire on Nottingham University's campus last night has 'completely destroyed' a brand new science laboratory, it has been reported.

More than 60 firefighters battled the blaze which ripped through the GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory which was still under construction.

The carbon-neutral, timber-framed building cost £15.8m and was designed to provide laboratory space for 100 people.

Eyewitnesses on Twitter said the building had been "completely destroyed." It comes just days before students are due to arrive for the start of the new term.

The fire is believed to have started at around 8.30pm last night on the university's Jubilee campus.

Explosions were reported to have come from the building, witnesses say.

The fire was so large it could be seen from across the city.

Building is reported to be timber-framed, with burning debris drifting into air, Sky News reports.

No-one was injured in the blaze, which has not been brought under control.

A spokeswoman for Nottingham Fire and Rescue group said: "No other buildings have been affected, fortunately no people were involved in this fire and we've had 12 crews here, that's over 60 firefighters."

"Credit to those firefighters who pulled out all the stops to prevent this fire spreading."

A spokesman for the university told Sky News: "Thankfully, there have been no casualties as this is a building that was still under construction."